Al-Jazeera is to launch a new English language channel this May as part of an ambitious expansion that includes sport and children's channels and a new training centre.

The broadcaster, which achieved international renown when it broadcast a tape from Osama bin Laden soon after the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre, is already watched by 35 million viewers a day around the world.

But because of its controversial editorial stance, al-Jazeera has struggled to attract advertising in the more conservative Arab countries and has yet to make a profit after nearly eight years on air.

Now it is hoping to capitalise on its rise to fame during the last Iraq war with a series of commercial initiatives, including an English language channel and a training centre that will offer PR advice to companies in the Arab world.

The al-Jazeera Media Training and Development Centre will open this week based at the broadcaster's Doha headquarters.

"It will address the need for a regional vocational centre that deals in all aspects of broadcast television and print," said a spokesman.

"Though it is based at al-Jazeera it is not just for our employees but will be open to outsiders. Although it will initially be subsidised by al-Jazeera, the aim is to make it a business which will bring revenue back to the channel."

Later this year the broadcaster plans to launch a sports channel, followed by an al-Jazeera channel for children.

Al-Jazeera was set up in 1996 and its first five years on air were funded by the Emir of Qatar.

Since 2001, however, it has been required to pay its own way.

The broadcaster was criticised by US officials throughout the Iraq war, and has also attracted controversy from Arab quarters for broadcasting interviews with the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the US secretary of state, Colin Powell.

Executives at the channel insist its unpopularity with governments is a sign it is doing its job properly.

But they admit it has hampered commercial progress.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, the al-Jazeera managing director, Wadah Khanfar, said: "Agencies are boycotting us. A lot of companies are not putting adverts in our organisation because most of them are owned or at least hosted in certain countries that are not happy with us, like Saudi Arabia."